Our Father gives good gifts

For those of you who read my last blog post from a few days ago, you know that these past 5-6 months have not been easy, I have not felt well at all due to an ongoing Cystic Fibrosis exacerbation that is not responding to IV antibiotics. I wanted to share with you another update about how merciful and good our God is! This past Tuesday was when I went to the doctor and found out that my Pulmonary function tests showed the lowest results I have had. This Thursday I went to my lifegroup/Bible study and they prayed for healing for my body in the name of Jesus. The next day I got up for class as usual and as the day went on I realized that I had a lot more energy than I have had, I didn't feel as congested, and my body didn't ache. I wondered if God was up to something, but I also know that some days with CF are better than others so I told myself we will see how I feel the next few days. The next morning I woke up and took a breath and was surprised when I did not crackle or gurgle with congestion, my breath was clear and deep. I got up and tried to cough up my usual large amount of mucus (sorry for the icky details)...these past few months I have needed to cough up multiple tissues full of gunk in the morning and throughout the day. These past few days...hardly anything. I have energy, and no more body aches or heaviness in my chest! I still have symptoms of CF, but the exacerbation symptoms that have been here for nearly 6 months are finally gone! Jesus is way better and more effective than medicine!! Though I am not completely healed, I believe God healed me of this exacerbation, and I am so overwhelmingly grateful! A few things I want to note... First, while I know my lifegroup praying over me was a huge part of this, I also want to thank everyone else who was praying for me. Thank you so much to everyone who commented on my blog post on facebook. I know your prayers and the faithful prayers of others were definitely part of it. I also want to add that this was not the first time I was prayed for. Many many times have people from my church, my friends, and my family prayed for healing over the years and most times nothing results. I know that God still heard those prayers though. HIS timing is perfect. Sometimes we are not healed, not everyone is meant to be. BUT Jesus did promise us that He will never leave us and that though there will be troubles in this world, He has overcome it through the cross and we can have hope! Christ gives us hope of eternal life, free of suffering! I would like to write a blog post on suffering and theological thoughts on it sometime soon. 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 "3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 6 Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. 7 We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us." This experience has reminded me of God's faithfulness and encouraged me about nursing. I am reminded that He will make me able to do whatever it is He is calling me to, nursing included. I also have realized that while feeling well now is wonderful, that I will not always feel well...none of us will. My body will eventually fail me. All of our bodies will eventually fail us. Our earthly bodies were not meant to last forever. This world is broken and fallen and suffering is part of it. In God's kingdom though, we will have new bodies. I am reminded that though the gift of healing is overwhelmingly wonderful, even better is the gift of forgiveness and life that we have through Jesus! 2 Corinthians 5:1-9 For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3 For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies.[f] 4 While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. 5 God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. 6 So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. 7 For we live by believing and not by seeing. 8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. 10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body. I know there are so many different beliefs and religions today, but I urge you, if you don't know Jesus, before you dismiss Him, remember that He has not dismissed you and loves you just as you are, even in your worst state. He created you and He loves you. The Bible's manuscripts are proved to be reliable. There is no doubt that Jesus existed. The question is whether or not Jesus was God like He said He was. He could not have been just a "good teacher"; He was either God or crazy. I believe there is much more evidence to suggest that He was who He said He was - God incarnate. Jesus conquered death and lives in heaven at the right hand of God! He is the only god who is ALIVE! Sorry for the tangent, I just wanted to share the awesome news, and remind you that God is still just as alive and powerful today as 2000 years ago, and He still hears our prayers! Love you guys!